Image processing system, information processing apparatus, image processing apparatus, control method therefor, and computer program

ABSTRACT

An information processing apparatus acquires communication setting information for communicating with an image processing apparatus by a second communication unit via a first communication unit. In accordance with the acquired communication setting information, communication by the second communication unit is established to execute, via the second communication unit, an image processing service provided by the image processing apparatus. When establishment of communication is detected, an operation window display request for executing the image processing service is transmitted via the second communication unit. The image processing apparatus receives the operation window display request from the information processing apparatus via the second communication unit. In accordance with the received operation window display request, an operation window for executing the image processing service is displayed. Image processing for input image data is executed on the basis of the settings set via the displayed operation window.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an image processing system comprisingan information processing apparatus and an image processing apparatuseach including first and second communication units, an informationprocessing apparatus, an image processing apparatus, a control methodfor them, and a computer program.

2. Description of the Related Art

Recently, proposals have been made to eliminate the complexity of cableconnection in an image processing system which captures the image dataobtained by scanning by an image processing apparatus such as a digitalcopying machine or a scanner apparatus from a handheld terminal such asa smart phone, a PDA, or a mobile PC.

For example, as shown in FIG. 13, such an image processing systemcomprises a handheld terminal 1300 and image processing apparatuses1301, 1302, and 1303. These components can wirelessly communicate witheach other using wireless communication techniques, such as Bluetooth orwireless LAN (IEEE802.11a/b/g or the like). There is no need to use aplurality of image processing apparatuses. Such apparatuses include, forexample, a digital multifunction apparatus. When an operator selects adesired one of image processing apparatuses located in a communicablerange, the handheld terminal 1300 communicates with the specific imageprocessing apparatus.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangements of thehandheld terminal and image processing apparatus in the image processingsystem in FIG. 13.

A handheld terminal 1400 corresponding to the handheld terminal 1300comprises an application unit 1402, scanner driver unit 1403,encode/decode unit 1404, and wireless communication unit 1405. An imageprocessing apparatus 1401 corresponding to each of the image processingapparatuses 1301 and 1302 comprises a wireless communication unit 1406,encode/decode unit 1407, controller UI unit 1408, controller applicationunit 1409, job control domain unit 1410, scanner unit 1411, and printerunit 1412.

The application unit 1402 is an application using the image dataobtained by scanning. The application unit 1402 supplies a scan requestto the scanner driver unit 1403 upon activating the scanner driver unit1403 via an I/F (interface) 1450 (TWAIN, WIA, or the like) in accordancewith operation by the operator. The scanner driver unit 1403 receivesthe scan request from the application unit 1402 and displays a settingwindow for scan setting.

The operator performs scan setting (a color mode, resolution, and thelike) on the setting window which the scanner driver unit 1403 displayson the display of the handheld terminal 1400, and then performsoperation for the execution of scanning. The scanner driver unit 1403supplies scan job information conforming to the scan setting to theencode/decode unit 1404 in accordance with the operation of theexecution of scanning by the operator. The encode/decode unit 1404generates packet data conforming to the scan job information andtransmits it to the image processing apparatus 1401 via the wirelesscommunication unit 1405.

The handheld terminal 1400 and the image processing apparatus 1401perform data communication by wireless communication via the wirelesscommunication unit 1405 of the handheld terminal 1400 and the wirelesscommunication unit 1406 of the image processing apparatus 1401. Theencode/decode unit 1407 generates scan job information by analyzing thepacket data received by the wireless communication unit 1406, andsupplies the scan job information to the job control domain unit 1410.

The job control domain unit 1410 controls processing for a plurality ofjobs such as a scan job, copy job, and print job. Upon receiving scanjob information, the job control domain unit 1410 operates the scannerunit 1411 on the basis of the supplied scan job information. The scannerunit 1411 reads a document from a document feeder mounted on the imageprocessing apparatus 1401, and stores the obtained image data in astorage device.

The job control domain unit 1410 supplies notification informationindicating the generation and storage of image data to the encode/decodeunit 1407. The encode/decode unit 1407 generates packet data inaccordance with this notification information, and transmits the data tothe handheld terminal 1400 via the wireless communication unit 1406.

In the handheld terminal 1400, upon receiving this notificationinformation, the scanner driver unit 1403 transmits an image acquisitioncommand to the image processing apparatus 1401. The scanner driver unit1403 receives image data from the image processing apparatus 1401 as aresponse to the command, and supplies the image data to the applicationunit 1402 via the I/F 1450.

Note that the controller UI unit 1408 supplies input informationcorresponding to the operation by the operator to the controllerapplication unit 1409, and also generates a display window for theinformation supplied from the controller application unit 1409 on thedisplay. The controller application unit 1409 supplies job informationsuch as a copy job, scan job, or transmit job to the job control domainunit 1410 in accordance with input information from the controller UIunit 1408. The printer unit 1412 is controlled by the job control domainunit 1410 to print image data.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 09-297668 and 2004-364002 discloseconventional techniques. According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.09-297668, it is determined whether a host apparatus and an imageforming apparatus are connected to each other via a local interface or anetwork interface. In accordance with the determination result, printprocessing operations are switched to set an optimal image formationenvironment.

According to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-364002, a computertransmits setting information indicating the contents of imageprocessing to a handheld terminal via a local interface. The handheldterminal stores the setting information in its storage unit uponauthentication of the user. When the user carrying the handheld terminalstoring the setting information moves to near an MFP (image processingapparatus (multifunction apparatus)), the handheld terminal transmitsthe setting information to the MFP via the local interface uponauthentication of the user. The MFP executes image processing on thebasis of the received setting information.

In the conventional image processing system, however, the operator needsto select one of the image processing apparatuses located in thecommunicable range with which communication is to be performed. It istherefore impossible to make the most of the mobility and convenience ofa handheld terminal capable of wireless communication with an imageprocessing apparatus upon movement near to it. Furthermore, the operatoris allowed to perform setting and operation for scanning only on ascanner driver window on the handheld terminal. This poses a problemthat the operability on a relatively small operation window like that ona handheld terminal considerably deteriorates.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in consideration of the aboveproblems, and has its object to efficiently implement functional linkagebetween a handheld terminal and an image processing apparatus withsimple operation in an image processing system comprising the handheldterminal and the image processing apparatus.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, an imageprocessing system comprising an information processing apparatus and animage processing apparatus each comprising first communication means andsecond communication means, comprises:

the information processing apparatus comprises

acquisition means for acquiring communication setting information forcommunicating with the image processing apparatus by the secondcommunication means from the first communication means,

establishing means for establishing communication by the secondcommunication means to execute an image processing service from theimage processing apparatus, via the second communication means inaccordance with the communication setting information acquired by theacquisition means,

detection means for detecting the establishment of communication by theestablishing means, and

transmission means for transmitting an operation window display requestfor executing the image processing service to the image processingapparatus via the second communication means when the detection meansdetects the establishment of communication, and

the image processing apparatus comprises

reception means for receiving the operation window display request fromthe information processing apparatus via the second communication means,

display means for displaying an operation window for executing the imageprocessing service in accordance with the operation window displayrequest received by the reception means, and

image processing means for executing image processing of input imagedata on the basis of settings set via the operation window displayed bythe display means.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, an informationprocessing apparatus which comprises first communication means andsecond communication means and communicates with an image processingapparatus, comprises:

acquisition means for acquiring communication setting information forcommunicating with the image processing apparatus by the secondcommunication means from the first communication means;

establishing means for establishing communication by the secondcommunication means to execute an image processing service from theimage processing apparatus, via the second communication means inaccordance with the communication setting information acquired by theacquisition means;

detection means for detecting the establishment of communication by theestablishing means; and

transmission means for transmitting an operation window display requestfor executing the image processing service to the image processingapparatus via the second communication means when the detection meansdetects the establishment of communication.

In a preferred embodiment, the transmission means transmits a job havingan operation window display request for executing the image processingservice as an attribute via the second communication means.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further comprises serviceauthentication means for acquiring service information indicating aservice from the image processing apparatus via the first communicationmeans and performing authentication to determine whether the serviceindicated by the service information is a service which can becommunicated with the information processing apparatus,

wherein the establishing means inhibits establishment of communicationby the second communication means when the service indicated by theservice information is not a service which can be communicated with theinformation processing apparatus.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further comprises icon displaymeans for, when a result of authentication by the service authenticationmeans indicates that the service indicated by the service information isa service which can be communicated with the information processingapparatus, displaying a first icon indicating corresponding information,and when the service indicated by the service information is not aservice which can be communicated with the information processingapparatus, displaying a second icon indicating correspondinginformation.

In a preferred embodiment,

the first communication means and the communication means are wirelesscommunication means having different communicable distance ranges, afirst communicable distance range of the first communication means beingsmaller than a second communicable distance range of the secondcommunication means, and

the first communication means starts communication when a distancebetween the information processing apparatus and the image processingapparatus falls within the first communicable distance range.

In a preferred embodiment, the image processing service includes atleast one of a scanner service, a print service, and a FAX service.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, an imageprocessing apparatus which comprises first communication means andsecond communication means and communicates with an informationprocessing apparatus, comprises:

reception means for receiving, from the information processing apparatusvia the second communication means, an operation window display requestfor executing a service provided by the image processing apparatus;

display means for displaying an operation window for executing the imageprocessing service in accordance with the operation window displayrequest received by the reception means; and

image processing means for executing image processing of input imagedata on the basis of settings set via the operation window displayed bythe display means.

In a preferred embodiment,

the reception means receives, via the second communication means, anoperation window display request for executing the image processingservice as an attribute, and

the display means extracts the operation window display request in thejob and displays the operation window.

In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus further comprises:

driver authentication means for acquiring, via the first communicationmeans, driver information indicating a device driver installed in theinformation processing apparatus, and performing authentication todetermine whether the driver indicated by the driver information is adriver which can be communicated with the image processing apparatus;and

device port information setting means for, when a result ofauthentication by the driver authentication means indicates that thedriver indicated by the driver information is a driver which can becommunicated with the image processing apparatus, storing device portinformation used for communication with the device driver, and when thedriver indicated by the driver information is not a driver which can becommunicated with the image processing apparatus, storing no device portinformation used for communication with the device driver.

In a preferred embodiment,

the first communication means and the communication means are wirelesscommunication means having different communicable distance ranges, afirst communicable distance range of the first communication means beingsmaller than a second communicable distance range of the secondcommunication means, and

the first communication means starts communication when a distancebetween the information processing apparatus and the image processingapparatus falls within the first communicable distance range.

In a preferred embodiment, the image processing service includes atleast one of a scanner service, a print service, and a FAX service.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, a controlmethod for an information processing apparatus which comprises a firstcommunication unit and a second communication unit and communicates withan image processing apparatus, comprises:

an acquisition step of acquiring communication setting information forcommunicating with the image processing apparatus by the secondcommunication unit via the first communication unit;

an establishing step of establishing communication by the secondcommunication unit to execute an image processing service from the imageprocessing apparatus, via the second communication unit in accordancewith the communication setting information acquired in the acquisitionstep;

a detection step of detecting the establishment of communication in theestablishing step; and

a transmission step of transmitting an operation window display requestfor executing the image processing service to the image processingapparatus via the second communication unit when the establishment ofcommunication is detected in the detection step.

According the fifth aspect of the present invention, a control methodfor an image processing apparatus which comprises a first communicationunit and a second communication unit and communicates with aninformation processing apparatus, comprises:

a reception step of receiving, from the information processing apparatusvia the second communication unit, an operation window display requestfor executing a service provided by the image processing apparatus;

a display step of displaying an operation window for executing the imageprocessing service in accordance with the operation window displayrequest received in the reception step; and

an image processing step of executing image processing of input imagedata on the basis of settings set via the operation window displayed inthe display step.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from thefollowing description of exemplary embodiments with reference to theattached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall arrangement of an imageprocessing system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware arrangement of an imageprocessing apparatus in the image processing system according to theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of the arrangement of a display unitand operation unit in the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing how a handheld terminal is placedon the device port of the image processing apparatus;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware arrangement of thehandheld terminal in the image processing system according to theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangements of thehandheld terminal and image processing apparatus in the image processingsystem according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing scan icon activation display processing inthe handheld terminal according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing scan icon deactivation display processingin the handheld terminal according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing driver authentication processing in theimage processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing driver authentication processing in theimage processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing scan processing in the handheld terminalaccording to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing scan processing in the image processingapparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a view showing the overall arrangement of a conventionalimage processing system; and

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangements of ahandheld terminal and image processing apparatus in the conventionalimage processing system.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described indetail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that therelative arrangement of the components, the numerical expressions andnumerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scopeof the present invention unless it is specifically stated otherwise.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall arrangement of an imageprocessing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.This image processing system comprises a handheld terminal 100 which isan information processing apparatus and an image processing apparatus101. These components can mutually communicate by wirelesscommunication. The image processing apparatus 101 includes a device port102 for short range wireless communication with the handheld terminal100.

The hardware arrangement of the image processing apparatus 101 will bedescribed next with reference to FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware arrangement of the imageprocessing apparatus in the image processing system according to theembodiment of the present invention.

The image processing apparatus 101 is assumed to be a digitalmultifunction apparatus comprising a plurality of types of functions(services) such as a copy function, scanner function, printer function,and FAX function.

The image processing apparatus 101 includes a controller unit 200,display unit 201, operation unit 202, short range wireless communicationunit 203, wireless communication unit 204, printer unit 205, scannerunit 206, image communication unit 207, image processing unit 208, andstorage unit 209. The controller unit 200 incorporates a CPU (CentralProcessing Unit) 200 a.

The display unit 201 displays various types of user interface windowsfor issuing instructions from the operation unit 202. The operation unit202 allows the operator to perform desired operation by key operation.

An example of the arrangement of the display unit 201 and operation unit202 will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of the arrangement of the displayunit and operation unit in the embodiment of the present invention.

An LCD display unit 300 has a touch panel sheet 301 affixed to an LCD.The LCD display unit 300 displays a system operation window and softkeys. When the operator presses a displayed key, the LCD display unit300 transmits the corresponding position information to the controllerunit 200.

A start key 302 is a key to be used to issue a start instruction forprocessing when, for example, document image reading operation is to bestarted. The central portion of the start key 302 comprises, forexample, a two-color LCD 303 of green and red. The color of lightemitted by the two-color LCD 303 indicates whether the start key 302 isan operative state. A stop key 304 is a key to be used to stop operationunder execution. An ID key 305 is a key to be used to input the user IDof a user (i.e., to perform user authentication). A reset key 306 is akey to be used to initialize settings from the display unit 201 and theoperation unit 202. Recently, with an increase in the size of liquidcrystal panels, a liquid crystal panel is often implemented byintegrating the display unit 201 and the operation unit 202.

Refer back to FIG. 2.

The short range wireless communication unit 203 performs wirelesscommunication within a very short range, and can be implemented bywireless communication based on the NFC (Near Field Communication)standard. NFC is a protocol for performing near field communication withanother communication apparatus by electromagnetic induction using acarrier wave with a single frequency. As a carrier wave frequency, forexample, 13.56 MHz in the ISM (Industrial Scientific Medical) band isused. As a data transfer rate, it is possible to select one of thefollowing three different rates: 106 kbps, 212 kbps, and 424 kbps. Whentwo NFC communication apparatuses are located within a predeterminedcommunicable distance (e.g., 10 cm or 20 cm), they can communicationwith each other.

In this embodiment, in particular, short range wireless communication isdefined as wireless communication performed at a relatively shortdistance (within a predetermined communicable distance) as acommunicable distance. In this embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG.4, wireless communication based on the NFC standard can be performed byplacing the handheld terminal 100 on the device port 102 of the imageprocessing apparatus 101.

The wireless communication unit 204 performs wireless communication at alonger distance and a higher transmission rate than the short rangewireless communication unit 203 does. This can be implemented by, forexample, wireless communication based on wireless communicationtechniques, such as Bluetooth or wireless LAN (IEEE802.11a/b/g or thelike). IEEE802.11a/b/g is a wireless communication scheme using radiowaves in the 2.4 GHz band and 5 GHz band. When the 2.4 GHz band is to beused, the maximum transfer rate is 11 Mbps, and the communicabledistance is about 100 m. When the 5 GHz band is to be used, the maximumtransfer rate is 54 Mbps, and the communicable distance is about 10 m.

The printer unit 205 prints an electrical image signal as a visibleimage on a recording sheet, and comprises a laser beam printer or aninkjet printer.

The scanner unit 206 comprises an image sensor which optically reads adocument image and converts it into an electrical image signal, a readdriving unit, a read lighting control unit, and the like. When anoverall document is scanned by the image sensor driven by the readdriving unit of the scanner unit 206, the read lighting control unitperforms lighting control on an LED inside the image sensor. At the sametime, the photosensor inside the image sensor optically reads a documentimage and converts it into an electrical image signal.

The image communication unit 207 transmits/receives data to/from anexternal device. The image communication unit 207 connects to theInternet, a LAN, or a public telephone line to perform FAXcommunication, or connects to an external device (e.g., a PC (PersonalComputer)) via a USB I/F.

The image processing unit 208 performs read image processing,communicated image processing, and recorded image processing. In readimage processing, the image processing unit 208 performs shadingcorrection for the image data received from the scanner unit 206, andperforms gamma correction, binarization, halftone processing, colorspace conversion from RGB to CMYK or the like, and the like for theimage data, thereby converting the image data into high-resolution imagedata.

In recorded image processing, the image processing unit 208 performsresolution conversion for image data in accordance with the recordingresolution. The image processing unit 208 performs various types ofimage processing such as image magnification, smoothing, and densitycorrection for image data to convert it into high-resolution image data,and outputs the data to the printer unit 205.

In communicated image processing, the image processing unit 208 executesresolution conversion and color space conversion for a read image inaccordance with the communication performance, and executes resolutionconversion or the like for the image received by the image communicationunit 207 in accordance with the recording performance.

The storage unit 209 is a storage device such as a DDR-SDRAM or an HDD,and stores control programs, data, and the like used by the controllerunit 200 to implement the function of the image processing apparatus 101as well as temporarily storing image data.

The controller unit 200 is a unit which performs overall control on theimage processing apparatus 101. The controller unit 200 is electricallyconnected to the respective constituent elements of the image processingapparatus 101 such as the printer unit 205 and the scanner unit 206, andperforms control to implement advanced functions.

For example, in order to implement a scan function, the controller unit200 controls the scanner unit 206 to read image data on a document. Thecontroller unit 200 also controls the printer unit 205 to output imagedata to a recording sheet, thereby providing a copy function.

The controller unit 200 provides a scanner function of transmitting theimage data read from the scanner unit 206 to a network via the imagecommunication unit 207. The controller unit 200 provides a printerfunction of converting the code data received from the network via theimage communication unit 207 into image data, and outputting the data tothe printer unit 205. In order to implement such control, the controllerunit 200 incorporates the CPU 200 a.

The hardware arrangement of the handheld terminal 100 will be describednext with reference to FIG. 5.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware arrangement of thehandheld terminal in the image processing system according to theembodiment of the present invention.

The handheld terminal 100 is assumed to be a mobile PC. Obviously, thehandheld terminal can be assumed to be another portable device such as acellular phone or a PDA.

The handheld terminal 100 includes a CPU 500, ROM 501, RAM 502, HDD(Hard Disk Drive) 503, bus 504, input/output interface 505, display unit506, operation unit 507, short range wireless communication unit 508,and wireless communication unit 509.

The CPU 500 is an arithmetic device which controls the respectivedevices and performs calculation/processing for data. The input/outputinterface 505 is connected to the CPU 500 via the bus 504. The displayunit (LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or the like) 506 and the operationunit 507 (a mouse, keyboard, and the like) are connected to theinput/output interface 505. Upon receiving a command input by operationby the operation unit 507, the CPU 500 loads a program stored in the ROM501 or HDD 503 into the RAM 502 in accordance with the command, andexecutes the program. The CPU 500 then displays the processing result onthe display unit 506, as needed.

The short range wireless communication unit 508 performs wirelesscommunication with the short range wireless communication unit 203 ofthe image processing apparatus 101 at a very short distance. This can beimplemented by, for example, wireless communication based on the NFC(Near Field Communication) standard. In this embodiment, as shown inFIG. 4, wireless communication based on NFC can be performed by placingthe handheld terminal 100 on the device port 102 of the image processingapparatus 101.

The wireless communication unit 509 performs wireless communication withthe wireless communication unit 204 of the image processing apparatus101. This can be implemented by wireless communication based on wirelesscommunication techniques, such as Bluetooth or wireless LAN(IEEE802.11a/b/g or the like).

The functional arrangements of the handheld terminal 100 and imageprocessing apparatus 101 in the image processing system will bedescribed next with reference to FIG. 6.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the functional arrangements of thehandheld terminal and image processing apparatus in the image processingsystem according to the embodiment of the present invention.

The handheld terminal 100 includes an application unit 600, scannerdriver unit 601, service authentication/communication informationacquisition unit 602, short range wireless communication unit 603,encode/decode unit 604, and wireless communication unit 605.

The image processing apparatus 101 includes a short range wirelesscommunication unit 606, driver authentication/communication informationacquisition unit 607, wireless communication unit 608, and encode/decodeunit 609. The image processing apparatus 101 includes a controller UIunit 610, controller application unit 611, job control domain unit 612,scanner unit 613, printer unit 614, and FAX unit 615.

When the operator places the handheld terminal 100 on the device port102 of the image processing apparatus 101, the short range wirelesscommunication unit 603 of the handheld terminal 100 starts wirelesscommunication based on the NFC standard with the short range wirelesscommunication unit 606 of the image processing apparatus 101.

The service authentication/communication information acquisition unit602 acquires scan service information of the image processing apparatus101 via the short range wireless communication unit 603, and performsauthentication to determine whether the information is a communicablescan service. The service authentication/communication informationacquisition unit 602 also acquires communication information requiredfor communication with the wireless communication unit 608 of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 via the short range wireless communication unit603.

The driver authentication/communication information acquisition unit 607acquires the scanner driver information of the handheld terminal 100 viathe short range wireless communication unit 606, and performsauthentication to determine whether the information is a communicablescanner driver. The driver authentication/communication informationacquisition unit 607 also acquires communication information requiredfor communication with the wireless communication unit 605 of thehandheld terminal 100 via the short range wireless communication unit606.

The application unit 600 is an application using image data obtained byscanning. Upon activating the scanner driver unit 601 via the I/F 650(TWAIN, WIA, or the like) in accordance with operation by the operator,the application unit 600 supplies a scan request to the scanner driverunit 601.

The scanner driver unit 601 receives a scan request from the applicationunit 600, and acquires an authentication result and communicationinformation from the service authentication/communication informationacquisition unit 602. The scanner driver unit 601 supplies thecommunication information and scan job information accompanied with a UIdisplay request (operation window display request) as a job attribute tothe encode/decode unit 604 in accordance with the authentication result.The encode/decode unit 604 generates packet data in accordance with thecommunication information and the scan job information, and transmitsthe data to the image processing apparatus 101 via the wirelesscommunication unit 605.

The handheld terminal 100 and the image processing apparatus 101 performdata communication by wireless communication via the wirelesscommunication unit 605 of the handheld terminal 100 and the wirelesscommunication unit 608 of the image processing apparatus 101.

The encode/decode unit 609 generates scan job information by analyzingthe packet data received by the wireless communication unit 608, andsupplies the scan job information to the job control domain unit 612.

The job control domain unit 612 controls processing for a plurality ofjobs such as a scan job, copy job, and print job. Upon receiving scanjob information accompanied with a UI display request, the job controldomain unit 612 acquires an authentication result and communicationinformation from the driver authentication/communication informationacquisition unit 607. The job control domain unit 612 then interruptsthe processing for the scan job, and supplies the scan job informationand an interaction mode shift notification to the controller applicationunit 611.

The controller application unit 611 receives the scan job informationand the interaction mode shift notification, and supplies scan settinginformation conforming to the scan job information and the scan modeshift notification to the controller UI unit 610. The controller UI unit610 receives the scan mode shift notification, generates a scan settingwindow conforming to the supplied scan setting information, and displaysit on the display unit 201.

The operator performs scan setting (a color mode, resolution, and thelike) on the scan setting window displayed by the controller UI unit610, and then performs operation for the execution of scanning. Thecontroller UI unit 610 supplies the scan setting information to thecontroller application unit 611, together with a scan request, inaccordance with the operation for the execution of scanning by theoperator.

The controller application unit 611 generates scan job information inaccordance with the scan setting information, and supplies theinformation to the job control domain unit 612. The job control domainunit 612 resumes the interrupted processing for the scan job, andoperates the scanner unit 613 on the basis of the scan job informationsupplied from the controller application unit 611.

The scanner unit 613 reads a document, and stores the obtained imagedata in the storage device. The job control domain unit 612 suppliesnotification information indicating the generation and storage of imagedata to the encode/decode unit 609. The encode/decode unit 609 generatespacket data conforming to the notification information and transmits thedata to the handheld terminal 100 via the wireless communication unit608.

Upon receiving the notification information, the scanner driver unit 601of the handheld terminal 100 transmits an image acquisition command tothe image processing apparatus 101, and receives image data from theimage processing apparatus 101 as a response to the command. The scannerdriver unit 601 supplies the image data to the application unit 600 viaan I/F 650.

Note that the printer unit 614 is controlled by the job control domainunit 612 to print image data. The FAX unit 615 is controlled by the jobcontrol domain unit 612 to perform FAX transmission/reception of imagedata.

A processing flowchart associated with scan icon activation display onthe handheld terminal 100 will be described next with reference to FIG.7.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing scan icon activation display processing inthe handheld terminal according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

Note that this processing is implemented when the CPU 500 of thehandheld terminal 100 loads a program stored in the ROM 501 or the HDD503 into the RAM 502 and implements and executes the respectivefunctions of the handheld terminal 100 shown in FIG. 6.

This processing starts when the handheld terminal 100 is located at adistance that allows NFC communication as the operator places theterminal on the device port 102 of the image processing apparatus 101.

In this state, the short range wireless communication unit 603 detectsshort range wireless communication connection (presence) with the shortrange wireless communication unit 203 (e.g., an NFC chip) of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 (step S701). The serviceauthentication/communication information acquisition unit 602 thenperforms mutual authentication to determine whether the detected deviceis a short range wireless communication compatible device for the shortrange wireless communication unit 508 (step S702). In this embodiment,this unit performs mutual authentication to determine whether the deviceis an NFC compatible device.

The service authentication/communication information acquisition unit602 then acquires scan service (ScanService) information of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 via the short range wireless communication unit508 (step S703). The scanner driver unit 601 determines whether theacquired scan service information is the scan service of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 which can be communicated (step S704). Notethat scan service information is, for example, authenticationinformation, version information, or capability information.

If this information is a communicable scan service (YES in step S704),the service authentication/communication information acquisition unit602 acquires communication setting information necessary for wirelesscommunication with the image processing apparatus 101 via the shortrange wireless communication unit 603 (step S705). The scanner driverunit 601 transmits a command for the scan service of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 via the wireless communication unit 509 (stepS706). The scanner driver unit 601 then determines on the basis of aresponse to the command whether it can access the scan service of theimage processing apparatus 101 (step S707).

If it is possible to access the scan service (YES in step S707), thescanner driver unit 601 stores device port information for accessing thescan service in the RAM 502 (step S708). The scanner driver unit 601displays, on the display unit 506 of the handheld terminal 100, an iconin an enable state which indicates that the scan service of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 can be accessed, and terminates the processing(step S709). Note that the device port information comprises the scanservice information acquired in step S703 and the communication settinginformation acquired in step S705.

If the information is not a communicable scan service (NO in step S704)or the scan service cannot be accessed (NO in step S707), the scannerdriver unit 601 clears the device port information (step S710). That is,in this case, the scanner driver unit 601 inhibits the establishment ofcommunication with the image processing apparatus via the wirelesscommunication unit 509.

The scanner driver unit 601 then displays, on the display unit 506 ofthe handheld terminal 100, an icon in a disable state which indicatesthat the scan service of the image processing apparatus 101 cannot beaccessed, and terminates the processing (step S711).

A processing flowchart associated with scan icon deactivation display onthe handheld terminal 100 will be described next with reference to FIG.8.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing scan icon deactivation display processingin the handheld terminal according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

Note that this processing is implemented when the CPU 500 of thehandheld terminal 100 loads a program stored in the ROM 501 or the HDD503 into the RAM 502 and implements and executes the respectivefunctions of the handheld terminal 100 shown in FIG. 6.

This processing starts when the handheld terminal 100 is located at adistance that disables NFC communication as the operator detaches thehandheld terminal 100 from the device port 102 of the image processingapparatus 101.

In this state, the short range wireless communication unit 603 detectsshort range wireless communication disconnection from the short rangewireless communication unit 203 of the image processing apparatus 101(step S801). The scanner driver unit 601 clears device port informationstored in the RAM 502 (step S802). The scanner driver unit 601 displays,on the display unit 506 of the handheld terminal 100, an icon in adisable state which indicates that short range wireless communicationcannot be performed, and terminates the processing (step S803).

A processing flowchart associated with driver authentication in theimage processing apparatus 101 will be described next with reference toFIG. 9.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing driver authentication processing in theimage processing apparatus according to the embodiment of the presentinvention.

Note that this processing is implemented when the CPU 200 a of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 loads a program stored in the storage unit 209into the RAM and implements and executes the respective functions of theimage processing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 6.

This processing starts when the handheld terminal 100 is located at adistance that allows NFC communication as the operator places theterminal on the device port 102 of the image processing apparatus 101.

In this state, the short range wireless communication unit 606 detectsshort range wireless communication connection (presence) with the shortrange wireless communication unit 508 of the handheld terminal 100 (stepS901). The service authentication/communication information acquisitionunit 607 then performs mutual authentication to determine whether thedetected device is a short range wireless communication compatibledevice for the short range wireless communication unit 203 (step S902).In this embodiment, this unit performs mutual authentication todetermine whether the device is an NFC compatible device.

The service authentication/communication information acquisition unit607 then acquires scanner driver information of the handheld terminal100 via the short range wireless communication unit 203 (step S903). Thejob control domain unit 612 determines whether the acquired scannerdriver information indicates the scanner driver of the handheld terminal100 which can be communicated (step S904). Note that the scanner driverinformation is, for example, authentication information or versioninformation.

If this information is a communicable scanner driver (YES in step S904),the driver authentication/communication information acquisition unit 607acquires, via the short range wireless communication unit 203,communication setting information necessary for wireless communicationwith the handheld terminal 100 (step S905). The job control domain unit612 stores the device port information in the storage unit 209 andterminates the processing (step S906). Note that the device portinformation comprises the scanner driver information acquired in stepS903 and the communication setting information acquired in step S905.

If the information does not indicate a communicable scanner driver (NOin step S904), the job control domain unit 612 clears the device portinformation and terminates the processing (step S907).

A processing flowchart associated with driver authentication clearprocessing in the image processing apparatus 101 will be described nextwith reference to FIG. 10.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing driver authentication clear processing inthe image processing apparatus according to the embodiment of thepresent invention.

Note that this processing is implemented when the CPU 200 a of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 loads a program stored in the storage unit 209into the RAM and implements and executes the respective functions of theimage processing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 6.

This processing starts when the handheld terminal 100 is located at adistance that disables NFC communication as the operator detaches theterminal from the device port 102 of the image processing apparatus 101.

In this state, the short range wireless communication unit 606 detectsshort range wireless communication disconnection from the short rangewireless communication unit 508 of the handheld terminal 100 (stepS101). The job control domain unit 612 clears the device portinformation stored in the storage unit 209, and terminates theprocessing (step S1002).

A processing flowchart associated with scan processing in the handheldterminal 100 will be described next with reference to FIG. 11.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing scan processing in the handheld terminalaccording to this embodiment of the present invention.

Note that this processing is implemented when the CPU 500 of thehandheld terminal 100 loads a program stored in the ROM 501 or the HDD503 into the RAM 502 and implements and executes the respectivefunctions of the handheld terminal 100 shown in FIG. 6.

The application unit 600 starts this processing by activating thescanner driver unit 601 via the I/F 650 when, for example, the operatoroperates to issue a scan instruction to an application operating on thehandheld terminal 100.

The application unit 600 sets, for the scanner driver unit 601,capability information and a UI display/non-display mode of determiningwhether to display a UI (User Interface) (step S1101). With thissetting, the application unit 600 issues an enable instruction for theexecution of scan processing to the scanner driver unit 601 (stepS1102). Note that capability information includes a color mode,resolution, and the like. The application unit 600 sets this informationas needed, but may not set it.

The scanner driver unit 601 determines whether device portioninformation is stored in the RAM 502 (step S1103). If device portioninformation is stored (YES in step S1103), the scanner driver unit 601performs wireless communication connection with the scan service of theimage processing apparatus 101 via the wireless communication unit 605(step S1104).

The scanner driver unit 601 determines whether the UI display mode isset (step S1105). If the UI display mode is set (YES in step S1105), thescanner driver unit 601 transmits, via the wireless communication unit605, scan job information conforming to capability informationcontaining a UI display request to the image processing apparatus 101(step S1106). If the UI non-display mode is set (NO in step S1105), thescanner driver unit 601 transmits, via the wireless communication unit605, scan job information conforming to capability informationcontaining no UI display request to the image processing apparatus 101(step S1107).

If no device port information is stored (NO in step S1103), the scannerdriver unit 601 determines whether the UI display mode is set (stepS1108). If the UI display mode is set (YES in step S1108), the scannerdriver unit 601 displays a scan setting window conforming to capabilityinformation on the display unit 506 (step S1109). The scanner driverunit 601 performs scan setting in accordance with operation by theoperator on the scan setting window, and issues a scan executioninstruction (step S1110).

The scanner driver unit 601 wirelessly connects to the scan service ofthe specific (designated) image processing apparatus 101 via thewireless communication unit 605 in accordance with pre-storedcommunication setting information (step S111). The scanner driver unit601 transmits scan job information conforming to the scan setting to theimage processing apparatus 101 via the wireless communication unit 605(step S1112). The communication setting information in this case is setwhen, for example, the operator selects an image processing apparatuswhich can perform wireless communication from a list window of imageprocessing apparatuses.

If the UI non-display mode is set (NO in step S1108), the scanner driverunit 601 wirelessly connects to the scan service of the image processingapparatus 101 via the wireless communication unit 605 in accordance withpre-stored communication setting information (step S1113). The scannerdriver unit 601 transmits, via the wireless communication unit 605, scanjob information conforming to capability information to the imageprocessing apparatus 101 (step S1114).

The scanner driver unit 601 receives, via the wireless communicationunit 605, a notification command notifying the generation and storage ofthe image data obtained by scanning from the scan service of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 (step S1115). The scanner driver unit 601 thentransmits, via the wireless communication unit 605, an image acquisitioncommand for acquiring the image data obtained by scanning to the imageprocessing apparatus 101. In addition, the scanner driver unit 601receives the image data from the image processing apparatus 101 via thewireless communication unit 605 in accordance with a response command,and transfers the image data to the application unit 600 via the I/F 650(step S1116). The application unit 600 transmits, via the wirelesscommunication unit 605, an image deletion command for deleting the imagedata to the image processing apparatus 101 (step S1117).

The application unit 600 issues, via the I/F 650, a disable/closeinstruction for terminating the scan processing to the scanner driverunit 601, and terminates the processing (step S1118).

A processing flowchart associated with scan processing in the imageprocessing apparatus 101 will be described next with reference to FIG.12.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing scan processing in the image processingapparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Note that this processing is implemented when the CPU 200 a of the imageprocessing apparatus 101 loads a program stored in the storage unit 209into the RAM and implements and executes the respective functions of theimage processing apparatus 101 shown in FIG. 6.

This processing starts when a scan service receives scan job informationfrom the scanner driver of the handheld terminal 100 by wirelesscommunication in a state in which a job can be accepted.

The wireless communication unit 608 receives scan job information fromthe handheld terminal 100 (step S1201). The job control domain unit 612then determines whether the scan job information contains device portinformation (step S1202). If the scan job information contains deviceport information (YES in step S1202), the job control domain unit 612determines whether the received scan job information contains a UIdisplay request (step S1203). If the information contains a UI displayrequest (YES in step S1203), the job control domain unit 612 interruptsthe processing of the scan job, and shifts to the interaction mode (stepS1204). The job control domain unit 612 causes the controller UI unit610 to display a scan setting window as an operation window on thedisplay unit 201 (step S1205).

The controller UI unit 610 performs scan setting on the basis ofoperation on the scan setting window and an operation key by theoperator (step S1206). The job control domain unit 612 resumes theinterrupted processing of the scan job by the scan service, executes thescan processing in accordance with the scan setting performed by theoperator, and stores the image data obtained by scanning in the storageunit 209 (step S1207). The job control domain unit 612 returns theoperation window to the window before the shift to the interaction mode(step S1208).

If the scan job information contains no device port information (NO instep S1202), the job control domain unit 612 causes the scanner unit 613to execute scan processing in accordance with the received scan jobinformation. If the scan job information contains no UI display request(NO in step S1202), the job control domain unit 612 causes the scannerunit 613 to execute scan processing in accordance with the received scanjob information. The job control domain unit 612 then stores the scannedimage data in the storage unit 209 (step S1209).

The job control domain unit 612 transmits, via the wirelesscommunication unit 608, a notification command notifying the generationand storage of the image data obtained by scanning in the scan serviceto the scanner driver unit 601 of the handheld terminal 100 (stepS1210). The job control domain unit 612 receives an image acquisitioncommand from the scanner driver unit 601 of the handheld terminal 100via the wireless communication unit 608, and transmits the image data asa response command (step S1211). The job control domain unit 612 thenreceives an image deletion command from the scanner driver unit 601 ofthe handheld terminal 100 via the wireless communication unit 608. Thejob control domain unit 612 deletes the image data stored in the storageunit 209 and terminates the processing (step S1212).

As has been described above, according to this embodiment, only placinga handheld terminal within the range in which it can perform short rangewireless communication with an image processing apparatus makes itpossible to start communication with the image processing apparatus andautomatically execute various types of processing such as setting fornecessary processing. In addition, it is possible to perform setting andoperation for scan processing on an operation window and an operationkey on the image processing apparatus side instead of the handheldterminal side. This allows the handheld terminal to capture the imageobtained by scanning by the image processing apparatus with simpleoperation.

Note that this embodiment has exemplified the method of allowing theoperator to operate a setting window on the image processing apparatusby activating the scanner driver with an application as a method ofcapturing the image obtained by scanning in an arbitrary application onthe handheld terminal. However, the present invention is not limited tothis.

For example, it is possible to execute scan processing by only pressingthe operation key on the image processing apparatus after placing thehandheld terminal on the device port of the image processing apparatusand store image data in a predetermined folder in the handheld terminalwith the same arrangement as that described above.

In this case, the scan application which transmits scan job informationby using the scanner driver unit is resident in the handheld terminal.In this state, when the handheld terminal is placed on the device portof the image processing apparatus, the scan application transmits scanjob information conforming to predetermined scan setting to the imageprocessing apparatus by wireless communication.

Upon receiving a scan job from the handheld terminal on the device port,the image processing apparatus interrupts the scan job, shifts theoperation window to the scan setting window, and activates scanoperation by the operation key. If there is no need to change the scansetting, the operator only presses the operation key for the executionof scanning. With this operation, the processing of the scan job isresumed and executed. In addition, the scan application of the handheldterminal receives image data from the image processing apparatus bywireless communication, and holds the image data in a predeterminedfolder.

The above embodiment has exemplified the arrangement of implementingefficient linkage of the scanner function of the image processingbetween the handheld terminal and the image processing apparatus.However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, thepresent invention can be applied to a printer function in anotherfunction (service) of the image processing apparatus. In this case, itis also possible to output image data stored in the handheld terminalfrom the printer unit of the image processing apparatus.

In addition, the present invention can be applied to the FAX function.In this case, for example, it is possible to FAX-output image data inthe handheld terminal from the image communication unit of the imageprocessing apparatus.

As described above, the present invention can implement efficientlinkage between services (image processing services) provided by varioustypes of devices (a printer, scanner, FAX machine, and the like) whichthe image processing apparatus has and the corresponding device driversof an information processing apparatus (handheld terminal).

The above embodiment has exemplified wireless communication as acommunication form. However, wired communication may be used. Forexample, it suffices to perform wired communication based on the 10BaseTstandard as short range wireless communication and perform wiredcommunication based on 1GBaseT standard as wireless communication.

In any case, the present invention allows the use of an arbitrarycombination of wireless communication and wired communication as long asefficient mutual communication can be implemented by using communicationstandards with proper communication characteristics in accordance withapplications and purposes. For example, a communication standard forrelatively short range communication (or relatively low communicationrate) is used for communication of a relatively small communicationamount such as negotiation associated with the establishment ofconnection between apparatuses. On the other hand, a communicationstandard for relatively long range communication (or relatively highcommunication rate) is used for communication of a relatively largecommunication amount such as image data transfer.

Note that the present invention can be applied to an apparatuscomprising a single device or to system constituted by a plurality ofdevices.

Furthermore, the invention can be implemented by supplying a softwareprogram, which implements the functions of the foregoing embodiments,directly or indirectly to a system or apparatus, reading the suppliedprogram code with a computer of the system or apparatus, and thenexecuting the program code. In this case, so long as the system orapparatus has the functions of the program, the mode of implementationneed not rely upon a program.

Accordingly, since the functions of the present invention areimplemented by computer, the program code installed in the computer alsoimplements the present invention. In other words, the claims of thepresent invention also cover a computer program for the purpose ofimplementing the functions of the present invention.

In this case, so long as the system or apparatus has the functions ofthe program, the program may be executed in any form, such as an objectcode, a program executed by an interpreter, or script data supplied toan operating system.

Example of storage media that can be used for supplying the program area floppy disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, aCD-ROM, a CD-R, a CD-RW, a magnetic tape, a non-volatile type memorycard, a ROM, and a DVD (DVD-ROM and a DVD-R).

As for the method of supplying the program, a client computer can beconnected to a website on the Internet using a browser of the clientcomputer, and the computer program of the present invention or anautomatically-installable compressed file of the program can bedownloaded to a recording medium such as a hard disk. Further, theprogram of the present invention can be supplied by dividing the programcode constituting the program into a plurality of files and downloadingthe files from different websites. In other words, a WWW (World WideWeb) server that downloads, to multiple users, the program files thatimplement the functions of the present invention by computer is alsocovered by the claims of the present invention.

It is also possible to encrypt and store the program of the presentinvention on a storage medium such as a CD-ROM, distribute the storagemedium to users, allow users who meet certain requirements to downloaddecryption key information from a website via the Internet, and allowthese users to decrypt the encrypted program by using the keyinformation, whereby the program is installed in the user computer.

Besides the cases where the aforementioned functions according to theembodiments are implemented by executing the read program by computer,an operating system or the like running on the computer may perform allor a part of the actual processing so that the functions of theforegoing embodiments can be implemented by this processing.

Furthermore, after the program read from the storage medium is writtento a function expansion board inserted into the computer or to a memoryprovided in a function expansion unit connected to the computer, a CPUor the like mounted on the function expansion board or functionexpansion unit performs all or a part of the actual processing so thatthe functions of the foregoing embodiments can be implemented by thisprocessing.

While the present invention has been described with reference toexemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of thefollowing claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as toencompass all such modifications and equivalent structures andfunctions.

This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No.2007-023514, filed Feb. 1, 2007, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

1. An information processing apparatus configured to communicate with animage processing apparatus, the information processing apparatuscomprising: a first communication unit configured to start wirelesscommunication by placing the information processing apparatus on adevice port of the image processing apparatus; a second communicationunit configured to start wireless communication without placing theinformation processing apparatus on a device port of the imageprocessing apparatus, wherein a transmission rate of the secondcommunication unit is higher than a transmission rate of the firstcommunication unit; an acquisition unit configured to acquire, viawireless communication by the first communication unit, information fromthe image processing apparatus to determine whether a scan serviceprovided by the image processing apparatus comprising a scanner unit canbe communicated; and a display unit configured to display an iconindicating that the scan service can be accessed when it is determinedthat the scan service can be communicated, and an icon indicting thatthe scan service cannot be accessed when it is determined that the scanservice cannot be communicated, wherein the acquisition unit isconfigured to acquire, after a scan process is executed by the imageprocessing apparatus in response to an operator issuing a scaninstruction, scan data of a document scanned by the scan process viawireless communication by the second communication unit, and to issue aninstruction for deleting the scan data to the image processing apparatusafter acquiring the scan data.
 2. The apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the display unit is configured to switch and display from thedisplayed icon indicating that the scan service can be communicated tothe icon indicating that the scan service cannot be communicatedaccording to disconnection of wireless communication by the firstcommunication unit.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein theinformation processing apparatus is configured to terminate a process ofa scanner driver communicating with the image processing apparatusaccording to acquisition of scan data of the document by the acquisitionunit.
 4. A control method for an information processing apparatusconfigured to communicate with an image processing apparatus, thecontrol method comprising: a first communication step of startingwireless communication by placing the information processing apparatuson a device port of the image processing apparatus; a secondcommunication step of starting wireless communication without placingthe information processing apparatus on a device port of the imageprocessing apparatus, wherein a transmission rate in the secondcommunication step is higher than a transmission rate in the firstcommunication step; an acquisition step of acquiring, via wirelesscommunication in the first communication step, information from theimage processing apparatus to determine whether a scan service providedby the image processing apparatus comprising a scanner unit can becommunicated; and a display step of displaying an icon indicating thatthe scan service can be accessed when it is determined that the scanservice can be communicated, and an icon indicting that the scan servicecannot be accessed when it is determined that the scan service cannot becommunicated, wherein the acquisition step acquires, after a scanprocess is executed by the image processing apparatus in response to anoperator issuing a scan instruction, scan data of a document scanned bythe scan process via wireless communication in the second communicationstep, and issues an instruction for deleting the scan data to the imageprocessing apparatus after acquiring the scan data.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 4, wherein the display step switches and displaysfrom the displayed icon indicating that the scan service can becommunicated to the icon indicating that the scan service cannot becommunicated according to disconnection of wireless communication in thefirst communication step.
 6. The method according to claim 4, whereinthe information processing apparatus terminates a process of a scannerdriver communicating with the image processing apparatus according toacquisition of scan data of the document in the acquisition step.
 7. Anon-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a computerprogram configured to cause a computer to execute a control method foran information processing apparatus configured to communicate with animage processing apparatus, the control method comprising: a firstcommunication step of starting wireless communication by placing theinformation processing apparatus on a device port of the imageprocessing apparatus; a second communication step of starting wirelesscommunication without placing the information processing apparatus on adevice port of the image processing apparatus, wherein a transmissionrate in the second communication step is higher than a transmission ratein the first communication step; an acquisition step of acquiring, viawireless communication in the first communication step, information fromthe image processing apparatus to determine whether a scan serviceprovided by the image processing apparatus comprising a scanner unit canbe communicated; and a display step of displaying an icon indicatingthat the scan service can be accessed when it is determined that thescan service can be communicated, and an icon indicting that the scanservice cannot be accessed when it is determined that the scan servicecannot be communicated, wherein the acquisition step acquires, after ascan process is executed by the image processing apparatus in responseto an operator issuing a scan instruction, scan data of a documentscanned by the scan process via wireless communication in the secondcommunication step, and issues an instruction for deleting the scan datato the image processing apparatus after acquiring the scan data.
 8. Themedium according to claim 7, wherein the display step switches anddisplays from the displayed icon indicating that the scan service can becommunicated to the icon indicating that the scan service cannot becommunicated according to disconnection of wireless communication in thefirst communication step.
 9. The medium according to claim 7, whereinthe information processing apparatus terminates a process of a scannerdriver communicating with the image processing apparatus according toacquisition of scan data of the document in the acquisition step.